Memoirs of an Exotic Dancer
by JustFriends
Summary: Before RENT takes place, the story follows Mimi through June to December
1. Chapter 1

Memoirs of an Exotic Dancer

Chapter 1: June, 1989

June, 1989. "Ow!" Mimi screamed as the music started. She danced down the steps as the men chanted her on. "Meow," she said towards one of the boys. She was always grabbing every flash of green that hit the floor…this was her job.

Back stage, after the show, she took off her makeup, and changed her clothes. Benny came up behind her and rubbed her cold shoulders. She put her hand on his, as the hairs on her arm stood up. "I have to get home," she told him, and walked out the glass door, running down the street. She had to take her AZT Break.

She stepped inside and threw her purse down on the chair. If you don't know who she is, her name is Mimi Marquez. She only found out she had AIDS a little while back. Maybe 3 months ago. She popped the pill in her mouth, and swallowed. A knock at the door.

"Hey Mimi!" said her best friend, Jessica, as she raced toward her and hugged Mimi. Jessica had been Mimi's friend since 7th grade. "So, I heard tomorrow is your year anniversary of dating Benny." Mimi nodded. "What are you guys gonna do?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know," said Mimi, "I have never been in The Statue of Liberty. Benny said he might take me there." Jessica smiled and sat down. Mimi walked over and sat across from Jessica. She started biting her nails. Jessica cleared her throat. She picked up the bottle of pills which were what Mimi had to take.

"Why do you still do it?" she asked Mimi.

"What?" she asked.

"You know what I mean." Jessica looked disappointed. "You told me after you found out about you having AIDS that you would stop with all the drugs!" Mimi looked down at her feet, and frowned. "Just please…promise me you wont do any drugs anymore." Mimi nodded. "I have to leave," she said in a hurry and walked out, waving behind her.

Another knock! She opened the door, and there stood a man with shaggy dirty blonde hair. She smiled at him. "I think this is for you," he said, and handed her a candle. She looked down at it. "You left it out on the deck. Near the lobby."

"Thanks." She smiled at him.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Anniversary

Mimi started to get ready. She started with lip stick, then added some mascara, then purple eye shadow, which was her personal favorite. She puckered her lips and smiled in the mirror. She picked up her purse and held it by her left leg. She stood by the door waiting for Benny to come by. But then she thought. Who was that guy the night before? Benny came finally, and knocked on the door. Mimi opened it and gave Benny a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and they left.

Mimi and Benny held hands as they walked down. "So, we're gonna join a tour group, and then go in the Statue!" he said excitedly. Mimi smiled at him, she was more excited then Benny. Perhaps it was because Benny had been there once before. But it seemed like he liked it, seeing as he wanted to go back. Mimi took out a bottle and put a pill in her hand. She put it in her mouth. Suddenly she felt her mouth water and she swallowed the pill.

"I'm glad you're taking me," Mimi said to Benny, as she squeezed his hand. When they arrived in the tour group, someone caught Mimi's eyes. It was the guy who brought her candle back! She looked at Benny, then back at the guy. She knew she couldn't have him. For one, he was probably too old for her. And two, she was dating Benny. Plus, the guy probably had a girlfriend anyway. "Jessica saw me last night."

"Oh, really?" Benny asked Mimi. She nodded, and licked her lips, because they were dry. She was wearing that special lip stick that stayed unless something SPECIAL was added to her lips and she would wipe it away. Even though she tried to keep conversation she couldn't help but keep looking over at the guy. "What did she talk to you about? Anything about Maureen?" Mimi shook her head.

"Nah, she didn't say anything about Maureen. Basically just the usual shit about me getting off drugs like usual." Benny nodded. Jessica was always trying to get Mimi to stop with the drugs. Every time she would act like she didn't know Mimi was still taking them, and then got into her little fit about the drugs. "Did anyone visit _you _last night?" she asked him. He shook his head.

Suddenly the group started walking inside. Mimi was still holding his hand but looking into the eyes of the man who gave her candle back. So they went inside and started to go up. When they reached the top (where the crown is) they walked over and looked out the window. "Wow," said Benny. "It's just like last time! Such a beautiful sight." Mimi realized how beautiful it was. It even took her mind off the candle guy.

She got home late at night. She fell down on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, smiling a toothy smile. She closed her eyes and thought of when the boy handed her the candle and the look in his eyes. She had to meet him. She didn't care how, she didn't care where. But she wanted to meet him so bad. More than she has ever wanted anything.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next day Jessica and Mimi were sitting outside and drinking iced mocha's as Mimi was telling her about the guy gave her a candle. "I mean," she said slowly, "it wasn't my candle, but oh well!" Jessica laughed, and set down her mocha. "And, well," Mimi said, with a sad look on her face, "I think I might break up with Benny." Jessica looked surprised.

"Why?" she asked her. Mimi shrugged. "Well, I mean, Benny and you have a good relationship. And, also, if you're dumping him for this candle guy, that, might I add, you don't even know, that's pretty stupid." Mimi took a sip of her mocha. "Why would you want to destroy a completely good relationship?" Mimi set her mocha down and brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked at Jessica.

"I just feel different now," said Mimi. "With Benny, I mean. I don't think I really love him as much as I say I do." Jessica stood up, threw her mocha away and told Mimi she had to leave. Plus, Mimi had to work today, anyway. She got up and walked down the road. She was actually smiling now. She was thinking of him so much. This worried her, though. She shouldn't get this hooked on someone she didn't know.

She stepped inside as Amy, another dancer, waved at her. "Hey what's been up?" Amy asked Mimi, as Mimi set her purse down. Mimi told her all about the candle guy, and about Benny. "Well, I don't think you should dump Benny, you have no reason to." Mimi set a lipstick tube down on the table and looked at Amy.

"I already told you why," she said quickly. "I don't love Benny anymore." Amy frowned, shrugged, patted Mimi on the shoulder, and walked away. Mimi got out and suddenly men started cheering. Just like every night rock music started and Mimi sat down on the railing and slid down. She started dancing, letting her body go with the music.

She felt as though she was in a trance. She closed her eyes, and moved her hands up and down on her body, opened her eyes, and smiled at one of the guys. Suddenly she stopped dancing. Over by the bar sat the candle guy. She looked around, almost forgetting there was a show to do. She started dancing, but was still distracted by him. When he looked over she looked down. She knew he was watching her.

Amy and another dancer came out, as part of the routine, and put hand cuffs on Mimi, and put them on top of a metal bar, as Mimi was being tied up. The girls were smiling, as well, but Mimi wasn't. Of course she was happy that the guy was here, but what would he think of her now? A slut? A whore? "Untie me!" she blurted toward Amy.

"But this is part of the show!" she said.

"Amy, just do it!" she yelled. Amy untied her feet as the other girl untied her hands. The cuffs were unlocked and Mimi ran backstage.

"What is she doing?" asked the dancer to Amy. Amy shrugged and walked backstage, too. The music stopped and the men were clueless. Mimi couldn't take that. Of course it was her job to dance, but that could mean he wouldn't wanna date her. Most of the girls, after the show would take guys home. Would he think the same of her? She hurriedly put on her coat and grabbed her purse and ran out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Is everything all right, baby?" Benny asked Mimi. Mimi looked like she hadn't slept in days. She nodded. "Well, what is it? Are you sick or something?" She let go of Benny's hand and started fumbling around with her own fingers. "Don't tell me Jessica said something to you that made you mad?" he asked her. She shook her head. Benny was a bit worried about Mimi acting like this.

"It's just, we need to break up!" she said quickly. Benny's eyes started to water, and slowly a tear streamed down his cheek. She whirled around and ran away. She ran down the sidewalk, as she wiped her tears away. She got into her apartment as someone stopped her. He had glasses and had red hair.

"Is something okay?" he asked her.

"Me and my boyfriend broke up," she said. The guy gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry, we don't know each other but…I hope you get better soon," he said to her. She said thanks and went on her way. She got in her room and laid down on her bed. She picked up the phone and called her friend Jessica. "Jessica, me and Benny broke up," she told her. She tried to stop choking while she talked. Jessica felt bad.

"I thought you wanted to break up with him…so why are you crying?" Jessica asked her.

"I don't know, I guess just because everything I've been going through," she said slowly, setting down the needle, after deciding not to take the drugs.

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm worried for you," Jessica told her. "You start getting obsessed over this guy you barely know, you leave your work for no reason whatsoever, and now you break up with Benny and start crying to me." Mimi looked down at her hands, shaking from all the crying she had been doing.

They hung up. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

July came quickly, and it seemed she got over her and Benny breaking up. She had started taking drugs less and less altogether, but still every once and awhile. She had gotten happier as the time went by, and saw the candle guy a lot more. The red headed boy who wear glasses had started talking to her more and more. He made her happier all the time.

"I have AIDS," she told him one day.

"Yeah, so does my room mate, Roger," he replied. Mimi nodded.

"I'd like to meet him sometime," she said.

"Ah, well, he stays home playing the guitar everyday." Roger laughed. "It's pretty funny. I mean, he's been writing this song for like a year."

"A year!" Mimi asked, laughing. "So what does he look like?" she asked him.

"He's got dirty blonde hair, gruff look. Greenish eyes." Mimi smiled. The candle guy came up in her head as soon as he finished with the description. Mimi asked him to tell Roger to meet her sometime, like in the lobby of the apartment.

"Alright," he said, "will do."

To be continued.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mimi sat on the bench and waited for Roger to come, as Mark said he told him to. It was 20 minutes past, but guys can be late. Tomorrow was Independence Day and her parents would be visiting. She knew she would have to get all dressed up and what not, so she just thought about what she would wear. Soon enough it was dark, and she got inside. She gave up on him that night.

She walked in her apartment, and sat down on the bed. She frowned, and would just ask Mark about Roger tomorrow. She lay down on her bed, and rested her head on the pillow, and stared up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, after setting the alarm for 7 A.M. She had a dream about Roger lighting a candle, and then looking up and smiling.

"Oh, it is so good to see you!" her mom said, as she hurried to hug her daughter. Mimi hugged back, and smiled at her mother. "So, have you planned anything?" she asked as Mimi's father walked through the door, and set down a suitcase. "If not, we can always just go back out and eat at a nice restaurant, its okay if you're not prepared.

"Let's eat out, I barely have anything to eat," said Mimi, "and not enough to even buy me anything." So, her mother and father walked her to a restaurant they liked. It was Chinese, which was one of Mimi's favorites. The waiter could barely speak English, but Mimi could still understand him. She ordered vegetable fried rice.

"So, happy Independence Day!" her mom said, smiling. Mimi smiled back. Her parents had met on Independence Day so it was special for them. They would always come back to New York City from Canada to visit Mimi. She enjoyed it a lot, seeing as her only company was Jessica, and now Mark. The food finally came, and Mimi enjoyed it a lot. She could tell why her parents wanted to come here.

That night Mark visited. "Sorry, Roger didn't come." Mimi nodded.

"How did you know?" Mimi asked him.

"I don't have a job, I don't have any money. All I did was sit around all day, and he refused to leave. Said his guitar string was broken." Mimi nodded.

"I understand." Mimi and Roger hugged. "By the way, can you not tell Roger about me, though. I don't want him to know who I am."

"Alright," said Mark, "if that's what you want."

"Trust me, it is." Mimi smiled.

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mimi walked down the street, feeling good. She was headed for the park, there she would sit and read. So, she sat for an hour and read, feeling the cool breeze, and the kids laughing. Her dad walked up, and sat down next to her. "How did you know I was here?" she asked him. He looked at her and smiled for at least 5 seconds, and took hold of her hand. "You have big hands," she said, studying them.

"Remember when you were 11?" he asked her. He sighed. "We'd come here all the time. That's how I knew you'd be here. Lucky guess." Mimi nodded, smiling to herself. She closed her book, and looked up at her father, who had his arm around her shoulder. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She remembered being 11, sitting on the bench, her father reading a story to her. Her favorite was Sleeping Beauty.

After a while, they walked home together. Mimi thought about when she was 11, and all the things her and her parents did. So careless, so free. She had no worries. No AIDS. She had her cat, Angel, and would pet her every morning, feed her. She did everything for that cat. Until the day it died, and she cried so hard. That was when she started acting bad. She had decided since nothing started to go her way anymore, she'd just act bad.

Her parents left, and Mimi was left alone again, until Jessica came over. "Here," she said, handing her a CD. "It's the music you'll need for your work tomorrow." Mimi smiled and said thanks to Jessica. "Have you even started practicing the dance?" she asked her. Mimi set the CD down and turned around to face Jessica, who took off her coat.

"Nah," she said. "I haven't really thought about work lately."

"Why don't you get a different job? Working as a dancer isn't to cool," Jessica replied.

"It pays good!" Mimi exclaimed, sipping her hot tea she had made.

"I heard Benny is going to be…the land lord…" Jessica looked down and everything got quiet.

"Shit," said Mimi. "What if he like kicks me out?" Mimi asked her.

"He wouldn't do that!" she said quickly. Mimi shrugged, and set her tea down.

"I guess he isn't like that…" Mimi wasn't too sure what to think of Benny now.

Jessica grabbed her coat. "I'm sorry, but, dinner calls," she said. She flew out the door, closing it silently. Mimi thought about what Jessica had said and wondered if it was true that Benny was going to be the land lord. She decided not to think about it and decided to dump the rest of the tea out of the cup and call it a night. She was so tired from her parents visit.


End file.
